Happily Sometimes After
by Sanin Sakura
Summary: One encounter- that was all it took to make Sakura leave the Konoha for Sasuke. Was it for the better or worse? Would this story have a happily ever after or not? SasuSaku
1. Chapter 1

**I had this idea in the back of my head and I decided to write it. Hope you like it.**

**Warning: Sasuke may seem a little OOC**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto… only Sasuke… okay not even Sasuke or anyone.**

**The Deceiver and the Deceived. **

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Because we can't always get that happily ever after we so much seek after.

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Sakura's POV

"Sakura Haruno, Naruto Uzumaki, Shikamaru Nara your mission was a complete failure. Not only were you unsuccessful in retrieving the missing scroll, but let the rouge ninja escape when you had the chance to capture him," Lady Tsunade reprimanded. A stern scowl on her face becoming more and more evident.

I tried to tune my sensei out. She had been repeating the same thing over and over again. Wasn't it enough for her that I felt guilty to have lost an irreplaceable scroll? Obviously not.

I really didn't understand how the infamous Sauri had seen our weak spot. He wasn't very skilled, his only good quality (more like a talent) was the ability to avoid whoever he wished. Shikamaru and I had planned all of our moves very carefully. There had been no way for the ninja to escape, but somehow, someway he had found a way through our nearly indestructible defenses. It wouldn't take a genius to see that once again it had been my fault; that I had been the weakest link in the team.

He had seen a slight hesitation in my part to kill him, and that was all it had taken him to move and attack the team. I felt like he had known I didn't have what it took to annihilate him. Naruto and Shikamaru had relied on me to carry out my part. I didn't have it in me to end someone's life; good or bad. I may have the physical strength thanks to Lady Tsunade, but there was no denying that I didn't have mental skill. For kami's sake, I was medic ninja- someone who should save lives not end them.

Now, thanks to me, we were currently in a hospital room all bandaged up like mummies. From what I had heard, Naruto was healing at an incredible rate like always so no one worried about him. Shikamaru wasn't that bad off either. He had escaped most fatal blows by dodging the guy's attacks. I wasn't in such a good state at the moment- broken arm (once Sauri had seen my fierce, chakra enhanced punches, he had decided to break my arm in order to stop them) and dark violet bruises covering large parts of my body (trying to fight Sauri in order to redeem myself hadn't been such a good idea). I could hardly move from all of the pain, but I endured it.

"Come on, Grandma how bad is one little scroll?" Naruto tried to break the tension the whole room held- almost tangible. It made me feel worse that the whole team had suffered because of me.

"IDIOT! THAT SCROLL HAD SPECIAL FORBIDDEN JUTSU THAT SHOULD NEVER BE USED BY ANY-" She must have seen the guilty look on my face because she stopped mid-sentence. She let out an audible, exasperated sigh. "I should have sent someone with more skill," she mumbled lowly to herself, but we all heard.

"You don't think we are good enough!?" Naruto challenged. Naruto stood from the chair he had been sitting on trying to oppose the fifth Hokage.

Knock. Knock. I tried to turn my head toward the door to see who was knocking, but the pain made it exceptionally arduous. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Shizune come into the room and whisper something to Lady Tsunade. Whatever she said must have been important because it looked like Lady Tsunade's eyes would bulge out of her eye sockets at any moment. Without bothering to explain, she left the room.

"What the heck is wrong with her?" Naruto wondered to no one in particular. Having nothing to do and been ordered to rest up, he sat back down on the chair.

Silence filled the room. There was nothing to say between us- what could we say? 'Sakura, this is your entire fault.' Probably not. They both pitied me, always trying to make me feel better. Maybe, I would do the whole village a favor if I quit being a ninja. At least then I wouldn't be holding back any team in which I was on. My muscles were beginning to feel stiff so I tried to sit up from the bed with my one good arm.

I felt Shikamaru's attention drift to me, see me so useless; pathetic. He was probably wishing Ino had gone on the mission instead of me. At least Ino would have been more helpful. Anticipating, my glare I would soon send him if he didn't stop staring, he looked out the window to the white, puffy clouds. "Troublesome woman." I managed to hear him say.

I detested every minute that passed in this hospital room. I wanted to go home and drown out my trouble in a nice, hot, relaxing bath. Using what little chakra I had available, I gathered it into my hand and proceeded to heal as many of my injuries as I could manage. Feeling much better, I stood up, ready to leave this hell hole as soon as possible. I reached for the door, but it abruptly swung open.

Shizune stood on the other side, looking anxious. "I'm sorry Sakura, but you and Naruto aren't allowed to leave this room until things are settled. Besides, you two need rest."

I eyed her suspiciously. Something was happening- something that involve Naruto and I. "What's going on?" My voice came out shrill and shaky although I had no idea why. There was a feeling in my gut that told me it was something significant.

"I'm sorry. I'm not allowed to say anything," Shizune said looking uncomfortable. She looked at us like we would attack her at any moment to know what little piece of information she was hiding from us. She walked out the door. I could hear her talk to someone, telling him/her not to let us out.

"ARG! What's going on?" Naruto looked crazy enough to pull his hair out of his scalp. Naruto was not one to be contained in a small room. He wanted to be free to roam around the village. "Grandma Tsunade when I get my hands on you, I'll…. Well I don't know what I'll do. I can't believe you're keeping us here for failing a mission!"

"Naruto?" I called. He turned to face me and I knew I had as much of his undivided attention as I would ever get. "I don't think this has anything to do with the mission otherwise Shikamaru would have had to stay here too."

Then it hit him, like punch right in the stomach. Shikamaru realized he didn't have to be kept in here with us. He stood up ever so calmly and confidently, and, like nothing, he walked out leaving me and Naruto.

Time passed. Seconds seemed like minutes, minutes seemed like hours and all of this waiting was driving me insane. I had had enough and apparently so had Naruto. We both stood up with determined looks on our faces and opened the door. Who we saw outside shocked us both. Both our mouths were gaping open. Our eyes were making their way out of their sockets.

"Sasuke." Both Naruto and I choked out at the same time. A wide grin spread on Naruto's face from ear to ear.

"You came back!" Naruto's excitement was tangible in the air around us all.

I was confused. Was I supposed to be excited that the person I had professed my love to three years ago had finally returned? Was I supposed to be infuriated with him for leaving me in a bench where something could have happened to me? Maybe, I should be curious as to why he's back. A thousand emotions swam through my head, but for now the dominant feeling was confusion.

Lady Tsunade looked at us. Her expression was furious. We had completely disobeyed her orders. It was while looking at my sensei I saw the other unknown ninja behind Sasuke. One was a kunoichi with glasses- her red hair neatly combed on one side and in the other messy and tangled. To her right, was a freakishly tall guy who looked kind of crazy to me. To the left, was yet another male carrying a huge sword that seemed ridiculously familiar. The guy with the sword caught me staring at him and threw a smile my way. I froze. He probably though I was checking him out, gross!

Suddenly, one of the many emotions, fury, fought its way through as I realized this was Sasuke's team; Team Seven's replacements. We hadn't been good enough for him so he had found others.

I walked up to him. With each step I drew closer to him, I drew chakra into my fist. Two mere steps away from him, I stopped. He still looked as cold as ever, not even caring that I was in front of him. He was about a head taller than me, but I wasn't here this close to him to make calculations. I clenched my fist even tighter, and before I gave it a second thought, I punched him in the stomach.

There was a sickening crack in his body; probably some bones (gosh, I was so proud of myself for what I had just done). His back crashed against the wall behind him. Blood began seeping out of his mouth. I never thought I would be alive to see the day where the great Uchiha prodigy would be taken by surprise, but I was.

"You bitch! What did you do Sasuke-kun?" the red-head whined. She ran up to him. "Bite me." **(A/N: If you have read the latest chapter of the manga, you'll understand.) **Sasuke bit her and immediately I realized what was happening. She had some weird ability to heal by being bitten. I threw them both the coldest glare I could muster and walked out of the hospital without stopping to see who it was who repeatedly called my name.

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No matter how hard we may try to deny it, our lives are no fairy tale.

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Punch. Kick. Punch. Kick. It became like a drill for me. The dummy (I was imagining it was Sasuke) before was torn to pieces because of all my punches and kicks. I was trying to take out my anger on it, although it wasn't its fault for all my misery. Sweat dripped from my forehead and into the ground. I was exhausted but I didn't care.

"Why wasn't I good enough to be in his team?" I tormented myself with the same question repeatedly.

The day was already beginning to darken, and the chilly air was stinging my skin. Anyone would be home ready to get to bed at this moment, but not me. I continued on beating against what was left of the mannequin- taking out all of my frustration on it. I gathered what little chakra I had left in to my right fist and sent the dummy flying across the field, landing with a thump.

I dropped on my knees panting heavily. Too tired to move, I lay on the green grass to stare at the sky. The clouds swept by looking peaceful. I finally understood why Shikamaru stared at them so much- it was so relaxing.

"Got a minute?" My sensei suddenly appeared beside me.

I turned my head to face her. She looked troubled like she had to make a life changing decision. I nodded acknowledging her to speak. "Why is he here?" I managed to choke out but by the sound in my voice I knew I would start to get emotional any minute.

"It appears that Uchiha had been after Sauri for some time. He said he had some valuable information about Itachi that interested him, but Sauri always managed to evade him. Uchiha is proposing that we team up to capture Sauri that way we both get what we want; he gets his precious information while we get the scroll back. He is a traitor to the Village Hidden in the Leaves but we also have to think about the scroll Sauri stole," Tsunade Sensei informed me.

I knew of the scroll's significance. Tsunade had to make a choice; either team up and then let him go free without stopping him or imprisoning him but never (because the chances of us getting it back were slim) retrieve the scroll. She knew the first option would hurt Naruto and me greatly. He was here at home only to leave again. The second choice would be less painful. Sasuke wouldn't be kept long in prison.

Thinking about the options made me I realized what my sensei was doing. She was giving me the option to choose. Before I actually though of what I was doing, I answered. "Let's get the scroll back. Who knows what could happen if it lands on the wrong hands." My voice sounded more confident than I felt.

Lady Tsunade must have been anticipating my answer. "You leave tomorrow morning. Sasuke's team along with you, Naruto, and Shikamaru will be taking part in it. After you get the scroll, you are to come back to the village without attacking Sasuke and his team. They will be able to leave peacefully."

I felt like Naruto had betrayed me. Apparently, he had already agreed on this. I thought he wanted Sasuke back. But he had said that Sasuke coming back on his own was no challenge, and he wanted a challenge in bringing him back or so Lady Tsunade told me.

"Go rest Sakura. You are going to need it for tomorrow." Lady Tsunade said although it sounded more like an order. Either way, I complied.

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The bright, shining sun peeking through the curtains in my room awoke me. I dreaded this day, to say the least. Unwillingly, I made my way up the bed and into my ninja attire. Soon, I was ready to depart.

I was the first to arrive at the village gates. Minutes later, Sasuke and his _team_ (I cringed at the word) made their way. Sasuke hardly acknowledged me. I realized he must have been peeved about my actions the previous day. Whatever it was, I tried to ignore him which was very hard to do considering the fact that the kunoichi from his team was clinging to him like I would have done in my weaker days. It annoyed the hell out of me to see that he wasn't pushing her away like he would have done to me. She was probably his girlfriend. It made sense- him not pushing her away and the thought that he actually chose her to be in his team.

Finally, after what seemed like hours, Naruto and Shikamaru came to greet us. They were both arguing about a way they would take out Sauri. Naruto wanted a head on attack while Shikamaru thought of other possibilities without me having to be involved much.

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Sasuke's POV

Karin clung to me like there was no tomorrow, and I hated it. It bothered the heck out of me that Sakura stood so cold and distant. I was imagining a fight between her and Karin like it would have been with Ino, but there was nothing- no arguing or fighting. This Sakura was so… different. The way she had come up to me yesterday and punched a gut out was even more breath-taking. When she saw me, I was visualizing a teary-eyed welcome home.

I stood there waiting for some sort of reaction to come out of her, but my waiting was futile. She didn't look like she would do anything. I had to admit, I liked this Sakura better. She had grown up remarkably- physically and mentally.

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Sakura's POV

"We'll rest up here for the night." Shikamaru ordered everyone.

Finally, after hours of nothing but running, we stopped. My legs felt like they were made of jelly, but I didn't complain like the idiot clinging to Sasuke right beside me. 'SHUT UP!' I wanted to scream at her, but that would make me feel like an amateur.

"My legs are killing me! You think that guy is trying to wear us out or something? Sasuke-kun will you carry me?" the red-head complained unstopping.

"Karin? Shut up." Sasuke finally had the guts to tell her something. The glare he sent her could have melted iron for all I knew. The peace and quiet was welcomed.

Our teams split up in to two. Sasuke's team camped away from us. Naruto and Shikamaru left to find food while I set up the tents. They soon returned with the food and we ate it contently. In the other side, we could hear Sasuke's team complaining about the way Karin cooked. It was down right hilarious.

Everyone was tired and went to their respective tents after their meal. I didn't feel sleepy so I went for a walk. I had noticed a nice, cool lake around here and it would be nice to wash my face.

The moon and the stars were shining brightly, lighting my way. I sat on the dew-covered grass, not caring about anything.

"What do you want?" I spat to Sasuke who appeared beside me.

His question took me by surprise. "Do you hate me?" he asked in monotone.

I became immobile momentarily incapable of responding. "I hate you," I said shortly. It surprised me to have said that with such confidence.

"Why?"

"I hate you because you left, splitting up Team Seven. I hate that you left me in a cold, dark bench in the middle of the night where something could have happened to me. I hate you because you hurt Naruto and me. I hate you because no matter what I do or say, what you do or say, I'll love you irrationally for all eternity." My voice cracked at the last statement.

He walked closer to me in lingering, deliberate steps. "Stop crying," he said, in what sounded like less of an order than it would usually do.

I brought my hand to my cheek. He was right; traitorous tears were unconsciously rolling down my cheeks.

"Don't hate me," he whispered a bit softer.

"You must think I'm still weak and annoying for crying, huh?" I managed to choke out between sobs, blinking my tears away and putting a strong façade on.

"Hn."

"Of course, Naruto and I weren't good enough to help you so you made your own team. No offense, but that kunoichi, Karin was it?, seems worse than me." Now there was a confession that didn't hurt me to admit.

"Hn."

"You haven't changed much." Great! I was talking too much. I wiped the stray tears off my face.

"You have. I didn't expect punch me when you first saw me, let alone be so strong."

I think it was the end of the world. _The_ Sasuke Uchiha was talking to me. If it was, I would die with much enthusiasm, having accomplished something hardly anyone ever achieved.

I couldn't shake off the feeling of vulnerability next to him, though. I wanted to once again break down and cry. "Don't leave again." I murmured silently. The feeling of vulnerability overwhelmed me. I stood up from the ground and ran toward him, hugging him tightly close to my own body. "Don't leave again," I repeated while crying anew. "Please." I hated feeling weak, but I didn't want him to leave for a second time.

"My revenge depends on it." His voice was cold and distant.

I had come too far to back down now. Pushing my chances, I got on my tip-toes, clutched my arms around his neck, and locked my mouth with his feverishly. He froze, completely taken by surprise by my actions. What took me by surprise was what he did next. Instead of pushing me way, like I had imagined, he returned the embrace and began kissing me back. His arms went around my waist and I couldn't help but mold my body against his. Soon, our lips were both fighting for dominance, unable to reason or think about anything else but this moment. I was in complete and in utter bliss because my first kiss had been with my true love, Sasuke.

When it seemed too soon, he pushed me away gently and cradled me against his chest. "Sakura, this can never be." I knew what he was talking about, but I didn't want to believe him.

"I know." I tried hard at hiding my feelings but I failed miserably. Before I broke down again, I knew I had to leave. "Sasuke?" I called. "I'm sorry for punching you yesterday." I left immediately, unable to contain myself. I must have imagined him saying something like, 'you're still annoying' while I left

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Sasuke's POV

Sakura seemed so vulnerable asking me to stay when she already knew it was out of the question. She began to cry again. What would have once bothered me now made me feel sympathy. I knew I had hurt her feelings so many times, but now telling her that I staying with her was impossible, was currently unbearable.

"My revenge depends on it." My voice was cold and distant, but I knew it was nowhere near how I had intended it to sound.

She inched closer to me, and I began speculating her departure. I froze. I had been in my thoughts so much, I hadn't realized her intentions. Her arms went around my neck, and she began kissing me passionately. I don't know if it was my hormones acting up or some sort of affection I had for this girl, but I began to kiss her back. Before long, I was lost in her scent- intoxicated, by her mere presence. My arms involuntarily went around her petite waist, drawing her closer to me. I bit her lip asking her for entrance, which she gladly allowed. Her kiss had began so innocent and inexperienced, and I was beginning to transform it into something more.

That's when I realized this had to stop. This couldn't go any further than it had already done. I pushed her away softly and held her tightly against my chest. "Sakura, this can never be," I whispered trying to sound convincing, but every muscle in my body, every cell told me otherwise.

She backed away from me. "I know," she said forlornly. "Sasuke? I'm sorry for punching you yesterday." Then she left, leaving me thinking about what had just happened.

"Sakura, you're still annoying," I said with a different meaning than I would have used in our younger days, although I knew she probably wouldn't hear me.

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There will always be those times where we will be happy, but they don't last forever.

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Sakura's POV

I awoke thanks to the shining sun. The voices outside my tent were discussing some part of the mission. Instantly, I stood up and went to get clued in to the recent discovery. Apparently, Karin (who I now learned could feel people's chakra) had sensed Sauri's chakra in a nearby village. One of Sasuke's teammates had left to check it out. He had seen Sauri staying in a small hotel room, which led us to believe that was were he was keeping the scroll.

If it was up to Naruto, Shikamaru, and I, we would go for a direct attack and kill him. We had to think about Sasuke, though. If we killed Sauri, Sasuke wouldn't get what information he needed.

"We could do a seduction type of confrontation. Sauri could be lulled in and distracted and both our teams get what they desire." Shikamaru hesitantly suggested. He must have known I had never actually partaken in any of those kind of missions. We would have to rely on Karin.

"Well, I'm not doing that," Karin snorted. She must have thought she was too good for that.

"I'll go." I said.

"But Sakura, you've never been on these kinds of-" I knew where he was getting at, but I didn't want to seem useless. I put my hand over his mouth to stop him from exposing me.

"You're right Naruto. I've never… been on one…. where I didn't end up on…. killing the target." I fake smiled trying to cover up my lie.

After we had thought up of our strategy, we left out camp site and went into the village. We stopped at a store to buy very revealing, skimpy clothes for this seduction mission. We found a small apartment where we would be staying up until night arrived.

The night was darker than usual. There were no visible stars and the moon was covered by clouds. I walked out of the apartment in the revealing mini skirt and spaghetti strap shirt. I was wearing high heels (something I hardly ever did considering the fact that I couldn't walk in them) and my hazel, curly hair (I had used a genjutsu) was tied in a messy bun with strands hanging loose.

I suddenly felt very nervous and jittery- I had no idea what to do. I was too innocent, naïve, and knew nothing about how to seduce a man. Taking a deep breath, I walked toward a bar where we had heard Sauri went every night.

'No one is looking at you,' I tried to lie to myself in vain as I entered the bar, but since I couldn't lie convincingly, even to myself, I became dreadfully uneasy. I could feel men's lustful gazes on my body as I walked toward a stool next to Sauri (who was there flirting with other young women).

I walked close to him, rubbing my arm to his to obtain his attention. My trick worked; he immediately looked toward me and stared with his mouth wide open. I began wondering how exactly I looked. I hadn't bothered to look at a mirror before, but now the curiosity was killing me.

"What's a pretty, young lady like you doing here in a place like this?" Sauri interrupted my thoughts.

"I could ask you the same question, handsome." I retorted trying to sound seductive. I had to admit, the guy was good looking. His bronze hair was tied back in a pony tail with a rubber band. His clothes emphasized the man's well-toned chest and body.

"You got me there. Mind if I buy you a drink?" He asked while raising an eyebrow.

"That would be nice."

"Some sake for the lady and I." He ordered the bartender. Two cups with sake were brought to us without delay.

I took the cup in one hand, twirling the contents around. Sauri took his cup in his hand and drank it all in one big gulp. Taking the opportunity that he was distracted enjoying the contents, I poured my sake into a plant that was conveniently next to me.

This happened repeatedly. He drank bottle after bottle until he was drunk. "You know hiccup you are one hot bitch hiccup." He seemed to be getting too comfortable around me. He placed his right hand on my thigh and left it there. My muscles tensed. I had a kunai strapped to my thigh, and if he felt it he would realize that this was all a pretense. I didn't worry about it too much. He was so drunk, he would hardly notice anything. I merely smiled and acted to drink more sake.

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Sasuke's POV

Why had Sakura volunteered for this? Any idiot would see how immature she was. She had probably never been on one of these missions. She had the looks, but not the talent. And why had she bought _those_ clothes? She was only supposed to attract Sauri, but at the moment every man's covetousness gaze was locked on her body.

Naruto and I were sitting on a table close to Sakura while Shikamaru and my team where outside waiting for orders. The plan had been that once Sakura lured him out of the bar and gone into the hotel room, we would corner Sauri into revealing the information he knew of Itachi.

The guy was getting drunker by the minute and I could feel his desire to have Sakura's body very close to his. My blood boiled and my hands turned into a tightly clenched fists at the thought of him touching Sakura . I began to wonder what had pushed Sakura to put herself in this very uncomfortable situation. Was it her need to prove her worthiness? She had already proved that two nights ago when she had shown her inhuman strength.

Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Sakura tense. Had Sauri caught her? My eyes roamed around her. That's when I saw _his_ hand on _her_ thigh. If my blood had boiled just at the thought, I felt like exploding now. With each passing second, he moved his hand closer to her skirt and under it.

I didn't recognize this strange feeling I couldn't shake off. I felt the need to protect Sakura form Sauri and go break his jaw and shove his hand down his throat. Was this feeling protectiveness? Possessiveness?

He inched closer to her, closer to those rosy lips that had stolen an innocent kiss from me just last night. Their lips were mere centimeters away from each other. "That's the last straw," I growled lowly, venom dripping from my voice.

Naruto hadn't been paying attention to anything like always. "What do you mean teme? There are plenty of straws here." He held up a container with plastic straws up to my face. The dobe had missed the whole point.

I forgot all about the reason I had been here. I no longer cared about the information that he had about Itachi. I only cared about getting Sakura away from him. The chair I had been sitting on fell backward as I abruptly stood up with my sharingan activated.

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Sakura's POV

Sauri's lips were close to my own. I wanted to push him away, but that would ruin everything. _Thump. _Ignoring Sauri, I turned to where the noise had come from. Sasuke was standing up with his sharingan activated. I immediately wondered if I had done something wrong.

Disregarding the stares, Sasuke walked up to Sauri with his blade unsheathed. People, knowing there would be a fight, moved out of the way. The rest of our team came in one after the other to help Sasuke deal with Sauri. "Back off." Sasuke ordered in a lethal voice. "I'll take this guy on my own."

"hiccup D-do you know hiccup who I am?" Sauri stumbled across the room toward Sasuke. He was so drunk he wouldn't last with Sasuke. He would literally be unable to defend himself.

"Hn. You're the guy who's going to die in the next five minutes." Sasuke answer unemotionally.

"Don't worry, darling," he whispered to me while winking. "I'll take care of this, then we can go to my place and have some fun."

How _stupid_ was this guy? Could he not see that I was with them? I took the kunai from my thigh and pointed it toward him. "That won't be necessary."

"Sakura, I said back off," Sasuke ordered.

"But-" I knew there was no use in arguing with him so I stopped talking and moved out of the way. I actually felt somewhat relieved that I wouldn't have to be the one in the killing predicament.

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Sasuke's POV

"Hey!" Sauri pointed at me, grinning childishly. "You're Uchiha. I guess I'm not very good at avoiding you bec-"

Before he could finish his pathetic speech, I had one hand in his throat and slammed him against the brick wall. "I heard rumors that you knew where Itachi was at. Where is he?" I increased the pressure I had on his neck. He needed to get the idea that I would not be playing games.

"Why should I tell you?" he choked out.

Instead of answering, I held his neck even tighter. He was beginning to turn blue from lack of oxygen.

"Ugh…" Sauri tried to break free, but at this point it was impossible. "Itachi is cough…" I loosened my grip on him knowing he was ready to talk. "Itachi is said to be headed north of here toward a small village where one of the demons dwells. That's all I know. Please don't kill me." He begged.

"You should have never looked at Sakura the way you did, much less touched her." I whispered into his ear with malice in my voice. "That brought your demise." While holding him with my left hand, I managed to form hand seals for chidori with my right hand. Without a second thought, I plunged the chidori straight through his heart.

Sauri went limp. His blood oozed down my arm. I threw him into the ground having accomplished what I had been here for.

"Ahh! Teme, you killed him. Now we will never retrieve the scroll. We are doomed!" Naruto exclaimed.

"Hn." I opened my scroll pouch and took his beloved scroll out.

Naruto, Shikamaru and Sakura stared at me wide-eyed. "How or when did you get it?"

"Hn." I didn't feel like explaining that I had had it all along. I had been the one to steal it and made it seem like it had been Sauri who stole the secret scroll. All of this had been planned out long ago. The Leaf Village had some high-quality shinobi, and they were needed to assist me (though I would never admit that I had needed help from anyone) in catching Sauri. It had just been a coincidence that it had been my old team.

"Karin, Juugo, Suigetsu, it's time to go." I ordered my team, having the much needed information. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Sakura's sad expression. My muscles were unexpectedly unable to move, begging me to go back to my home with her. I forced myself to look away from her and left without looking back.

_Maybe one day, I may go back…_

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Sakura's POV

It bothered me to not know how had Sasuke obtained the scroll. I hadn't seen him take it from Sauri at any moment. "How or when did you get it?" Naruto, Shikamaru, and I queried at the same time.

"Hn." Sasuke grunted, not bothering to answer out question. He only appeared absorbed in some thought- probably something to do with Itachi. "Karin, Juugo, Suigetsu, it's time to go." He ordered his team unemotionlessly.

I saw Sasuke look at me out of the corner of his eye. Without a second glance, he left not bothering to say good bye.

Sasuke's retreating body disappeared into the darkness. I wanted to throw a fit and force him to stay with us, but we had made a deal. I wanted to shout and cry to him to not leave me, just like I had done three years ago. I stood tall and strong, though, because one day I knew he would be back. I would be the one who dragged him back with my inhuman strength.

For now, though, I wanted to go home and drown in my misery. I yearned to let all of these feelings I had kept inside me, reign free. One night of desolation, that's all I asked for- to reminisce how close I had been with Sasuke last night. We all need a day where we have to let our emotions take control of us; we all have to have a day to cry until we feel like there are no tears left. _This_ was my day.

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Because we can't always have a happily ever after, but we can have happily sometimes after.

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Woo! That was long. Please review. I'll consider adding to this if I get enough inspirational reviews (but I'm not guaranteeing to update right away).

**Anyway, Review! **


	2. Chapter 2

**This is the second and last chapter of this short story. This story has two alternate endings hence the two chapter titles: a sad ending and a happy ending. You decide which one you think is better or simply skip the sad one if you don't like sad endings. By the way, the sad ending was inspired by the current events in the manga.**

**Disclaimer****: Sasuke is currently an ass…. And I do not own Naruto or any of its affiliations. **

**Signs of Happy Moments to Come/Not a Happily Ever After**

* * *

**Sakura's POV**

I tried. I swear I tried. I attempted to not think about him after that sought after night. I wanted to go back to how things had been before I had seen him, but it was impossible. He would be in every little thought my mind would conjure up with. It was hard to force a smile when I saw our old friends and when I was alone it was still even harder. Getting up or getting dressed, I always felt regret for not following him.

I would work over time in the Konoha Hospital, but I would begin thinking 'is he okay?' I wondered if he had found Itachi. Was he hurt in the fight?

I just couldn't concentrate on anything, much to the point where Lady Tsunade was forced to give me the week off to relax. All this spare time on my hands was useless. I spent it moping around or thinking about Sasuke.

I knew I should just give up on him. He had Karin. I was of no use to him (not that I had ever been). Karin was probably more helpful that's why she was with him. I constantly repeated to myself so I would stop thinking about him.

Every attempt on my part was futile. Full of sadness deep within my heart, I wondered from place to place to find a distraction.

"HEY SAKURA-CHAN!" the one and only hyper-active knuckleheaded ninja yelled from afar.

I tried to smile, but my attempt was pathetic. My feelings were as crystal clear, especially to someone who knew me as well as Naruto. I only hoped he could be as dense as he was with other things when it came to me.

He stopped abruptly in front of me. "I got a plan!"

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Darkness, a ninja's best friend. Today, it was going to be my best friend too. I stealthily climbed out of my bedroom window, hoping my mother would not hear or see me. Once down, I ran as fast as I could not bothering to look back. I wanted to get this done. Soon, I would be with Sasuke and then maybe I would stop this meaningless moping.

As soon as I made my way to the Konoha gates, I saw the shadowy figure I expected to see; Naruto. His gaze met my own. His eyes were just as determined to find Sasuke and help him as were my own. If there was any way, any way at all that we could help, we would be there.

"Sakura!" Naruto whispered while smiling carefree. This wasn't any ordinary mission though, it was our own mission. By doing this we'd probably be considered rogue ninja, but at this point it didn't matter. Naruto was out to look for his long lost brother and I for my love; the one person who made me keep on fighting on. Surely, we could all start a new life elsewhere with Sasuke. We were leaving everything for him.

"Do you remember the location?" he asked worriedly as if his life depended on the answer.

"Of course!" I replied nervously for we were about to commit treason for abandoning our home. Hopefully, though Sasuke would still be there. Not much time had passed since Sasuke had sought their help and if they hurried, they would be in time to catch up with Sasuke.

"Great!" Naruto exclaimed. Immediately, a serious look overcame his smile. "We will finally be together again- Squad seven."

I nodded knowing that was partly true. Yes, Sasuke would be with us again, but not Kakashi Sensei and we wouldn't be home.

With one last look at the village we were betraying, Naruto and I looked at each other, nodded and made our way to the village Sasuke was headed to for his final confrontation with Itachi.

* * *

It was evening when we arrived at the small village where Sasuke was supposed to meet up with his brother. Instantly, Naruto and I split up so we could search for Sasuke all over the village faster. Much to our displeasure, there was no sign of him.

I wanted to cry. Why did this have to happen? I was so determined to help him, but we are too late. Holding my tears back I went in to the last inn in the village, having little hope.

"Excuse me sir?" I called to the man behind the counter.

"Yes dear?" The old wrinkly, but nice looking man responded.

"By any chance, is there a young man around my age with black hair and onyx eyes staying here?"

"Hm…I'm not sure. Many people come and go. The description you just gave me could fit many," the old man said, disappointed that he could not be of any help. "Are there any defining characteristics?"

"He's from the Uchiha clan." I answered shortly. I didn't want anyone to know that it was him we were looking for specifically but given the circumstances, she had to tell him.

"Ah that young man. He was here earlier today but left a few hours before you got here," the old man informed him."Do you know where he headed?" I questioned. My hopes were up once again. I had a lead on him.

"Let's see…" the old man said while trying to remember. "Yes, I heard him and his companions say that they were following someone who was heading toward the country's western border and that…"

I had no time to waste. I had to catch up to Sasuke before he could get any farther. Immediately, I looked for Naruto and found him. After conveying the new information, we once again set off to follow Sasuke.

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We were close. I could feel it. My heart was telling me that Sasuke was close to us. A little longer and we'd see him again.

"Sakura? We should rest a bit," Naruto said.

"What?" I asked. I had totally been absorbed in my thoughts that I hadn't been paying attention to Naruto.

"We should rest. If we catch up to Sasuke we won't be of any help to him all tired up," Naruto elaborated. Once in a while, Naruto could come up with good ideas especially if they involved the his friends.

"Fine." I agreed unwillingly. Naruto was right; tired out and with little chakra we'd be unable to be of any help. We would just be burdens to him.

We both took out whatever little food we had left and ate silently. Probably, we were both thinking of ways to help aid in the fight with Itachi. For Sasuke, I was willing to do anything, even take a direct hit for him. The love I felt toward him was no longer the childish crush I used to have on him. Back then, I was more in love with the idea of dating the famous Uchiha prodigy, but now it was real love coming from deep within my heart. When had I truly fallen in love with him? I do not know. All I knew was that I loved him with all my heart and not being with him was worse than being dead.

Naruto yawn and stretch. "I'm going to take a short nap. You should do the same Sakura," Naruto advised.

I nodded, rested my back against a tree, and closed my eyes.

* * *

When I awoke, it was still dark, but I felt rested enough to keep going. I looked in Naruto's direction. Still fast asleep. I smiled. He looked so peaceful, smiling even though these were no times to be resting like that. I decided to let him sleep for a bit longer be fore I woke him up to continue our journey.

_Squawk_!

Suddenly, birds flew out of the direction in which we were traveling. Flapping their wings ardently, they flew away from a certain area.

What could it be? I wondered but instantaneously realization hit me. The fight was beginning. It had to be that. What else could it be at this time?

Without much though, I stood up and rushed toward the site of the commotion without bothering to get Naruto. I was too focused on Sasuke. I had to help him.

As I hastily made my way there, depressing thought kept crossing my mind. What if it was all over already? What if Sasuke was….No! I tried to push those thoughts away.

Naruto and I hadn't been camping afar from the battle ground. I soon arrived at the scene. Not wanting to be noticed, I hid behind a tree and masked my chakra, waiting for the perfect opportunity to help.

The fight went on for what seemed hours. Sasuke and Itachi exchanged blow for blow, jutsu after jutsu. They both seemed to be about equal except that Itachi seemed to be alone and so did Sasuke but I was here for him. Where is his squad I wonder. Surely, they could help some. I quickly came to realize that Sasuke being his prideful self wouldn't want any help and that was why his squad was nowhere in sight. So should I even bother to help? If I did, surely he'd be angry and wouldn't feel like he won the way he wanted to.

I was too busy entranced in thought to pay much attention to the fight and when I finally looked up to see what was happening, I saw Sasuke breathing heavily against a tree and Itachi getting closer and closer to him. It was almost certain; Sasuke was about to lose this fight and Itachi would become the victor.

'This isn't supposed to end like this. I have to do something, but what?' I looked in Itachi's direction once again and I saw him picking up Sasuke's Kusanagi that had been laying on the ground for some time. I knew what was coming and I wasn't about to let Itachi go through with it.

Without another thought, I rushed to the battle field stop Itachi.

_Thwack! __**(**_**1) **_Drip…drip…_

"Ugh!"

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**Original ending**

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Blood. Lots of blood.

Like water flowing without restraint, the bright, red liquid flowed freely down my abdomen. I was injured but Sasuke was safe. Itachi would just forget about me and I could just heal myself, but if it had been Sasuke I wouldn't have had the opportunity to heal him which is why I took the hit.

Itachi looked at me with his cold, sharingan eyes then looked toward Sasuke. "I thought the fight was between just you and me. Who is this?" Itachi demanded to know.

"Sakura," Sasuke whispered unable to hold his shock back.

"Foolish little brother, this girl will pay for your mistake in bringing her here," Itachi said.

"Ugh!" I groaned in pain as Itachi slowly took the blade covered in blood out of me. I began coughing violently, blood coming out of my mouth along the way. He grabbed me by the neck and slammed me against a tree.

"Itachi stop it! She has nothing to do with us. Let her go." Rage began to consume him. Orochimaru's curse mark followed. I hated that thing. It was what had taken Sasuke away from the beginning.

I was suddenly dropped to the ground. All I was able to tell was that Sasuke had dashed toward Itachi and grabbed him to get him away from me. The curse mark had increased his power greatly but knowing that it was power borrowed from that Snake Sannin made my insides churn. Why? Why would he rely on his power? To save me?

The pain was unbearable. I was beginning to lose consciousness. My eyes were closing without my permission and before I knew it, I lost sense of time.

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**Sasuke's POV**

'Why? Why had she been so stupid and gotten in the way?' Sasuke wondered. Sasuke gazed in her direction for a second. She had passed out due to loss of blood. 'Hold on Sakura.'

I knew I had to finish this quickly. The fight had dragged on too long. It was getting to the point that any one of us could make the slightest mistake which would cause our demise.

"Sasuke, your eyes will be mine so that I can achieve greater power." All of a sudden, I saw Itachi cough out blood.

I took advantage of the situation and threw kuanis at him. They came nowhere near him and they were deflected by Itachi's Susanoo. Itachi made his way toward me. I had to do something. Taking out a scroll, I summoned lots of kunais with explosive tags on them. Still no luck.

I made some quick hand signs. "Fire style: fireball jutsu." I blew a fire ball in Itachi's direction. He would be too busy trying to dodge it to see what my real intentions were.

I ran toward my fallen blade-Kusanagi. Itachi was already low on chakra as was I, but unlike him, had something to keep me going, something to fight for. Summoning what little chakra I had, I managed to form a Chidori nagashi and aimed it at Itachi.

_Thwack!_

Itachi looked at me from the other side of my blade with half closed eyes. He lifted up his hand and poked me in the forehead like the old times, a completely unexpected gesture, but it was over. His torso fell forward and I took Kusanagi out of him.

I walked toward the motionless Sakura. She wasn't moving. Was she…?

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**Third person POV**

The wind blew. Everything seemed so calm like after a long, raging storm.

When someone close to you dies, a part of you dies along with them.- that was why Sasuke never let anyone close to him but he accidentally let her in and now he was paying the price. Sakura's body was still. It seemed to be all over.

Sasuke kneeled down beside her. He removed a strand of hair that covered her face. "Sakura…"

Suddenly, Sakura lifted up her hand and placed it on top his. She managed to form a weak smile and asked, "Is it over?"

"Hn." Sasuke replied.

Weakly, Sakura sat up. Using what chakra she had, she began to heal herself. She then out some bandages out of her bag and wrapped them around wounded areas of Sasuke's body.

"Let's go home Sasuke." Sakura suggested.

"Hn." Sasuke said again. Without further elaboration, Sakura knew that he was agreeing to go back to Konoha. Surely, punishment awaited him, but it would be nothing because he would soon be able to restore his clan. Soon, the Uchiha clan would become one of Konohagakure's strongest clans.

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_Is the reality we see the only one? Or could there be others? Could you tell when everything looks the same as always? Look around and what do you see? You'll find yourself thinking 'I've seen this before. Today is just like any other.' Sometimes though, you get a glimpse of another reality creeping into yours. A crack appears in your peaceful life; it throws you off guard; makes you rethink things._** (2)**

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**Alternate ending (sad ending)**

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Blood. Lots of blood.

Like water flowing without restraint, the bright, red liquid flowed freely down my left abdomen. I was injured but Sasuke was safe. Itachi would just forget about me and I could just heal myself, but if it had been Sasuke I wouldn't have had the opportunity to heal him which is why I took the hit.

Itachi looked at me with his cold, sharingan eyes then looked toward Sasuke. "I thought the fight was between just you and me. Who is this?" Itachi demanded to know.

"No one. Just a setback." Sasuke said stoically. His cold, indifferent eyes showed no emotion whatsoever, not even to me who had just saved his life. He didn't look like the Sasuke I had been with a few nights ago. This Sasuke was totally different. His thirst for revenge had changed him in a matter of days-no hours.

Truth be told, I expected Sasuke to at least acknowledge that he knew me. What was I to him? Was I, after all, nothing but a burden.

"Ugh!" I groaned in pain as Itachi slowly took the blade covered in blood out of me. I began coughing violently, blood coming out of my mouth along the way. He grabbed me by the neck and slammed me against a tree.

"She must not think so if she just save your pathetic life foolish little brother," Itachi noticed. "But you are right. She is just a setback…to your death." Itachi said while throwing Kusanagi and me aside.

I dropped on my knees. The wound was more painful than I wished. Gathering chakra on my palm, I began to heal myself. Maybe if I helped Sasuke once again, he'd see that I am not just an useless burden.

Suddenly, I was grabbed off the ground. 'Was I too busy healing myself to realize that I was about to be hit? Is Sasuke saving me?' I wondered. Too late did I realize that it was quite the opposite.

"Fire Style: Fireball jutsu!" I faintly heard Itachi say.

Sasuke had realized that he would be unable to dodge the jutsu so he was using me as a shield. My eyes widened as I saw the rapidly approaching fire ball. Realizing I wouldn't escape Sasuke's grasp, I gave in and took the attack.

The pain was unbearable. Burn marks covered my entire body. But what hurt the most was what Sasuke had just done even Itachi seemed surprised. I couldn't believe Sasuke had gone this far into the darkness. Tears filled my eyes. 'Sasuke…why?'

I felt Sasuke throw me to the ground. My eyes were beginning to blur. There was no way I could even attempt to heal myself. The pain was too much for me to handle. I couldn't even move.

I saw a blur, probably Sasuke, run toward his blade. "Chidori nagashi!" I heard Sasuke yell and it was all over. Itachi was stabbed by the sword. Itachi was standing for a few moments. I noticed Itachi poking Sasuke on the forehead then falling forward to the ground.

I could no longer keep my eyes open much. They were begging to be closed. My whole body was giving out. I was succumbing to the darkness ahead and I didn't have the strength nor the will to fight it. I had helped. It was over. I saw Sasuke's figure looming over me a few minutes later. There were absolutely no emotions on his face. He looked at me for a while. I probably looked pathetic covered in blood and burn marks. Then, he turned around and walked away.

The pain raced through my body. Burned and stabbed, what a great way to go, I thought. I could take the pain, I could take a few tears now and then and just let them out. I'm not afraid to cry every once in a while. Every now and again, I would pretend I was okay but that's not what got hurts the most was being so close and having so much to say then watching him just walk away. I was never going to know what could have been. He never saw that all I was trying to do was love him. It was hard to deal with the pain of losing him. If I could do it over, I would trade, give all the words that stayed saved in my heart, that I left unspoken.

The wind blew quietly, relentlessly. Rage began to surface. 'Why? Why did I do all this for?' I felt so angry. It had all been for nothing. Nature seemed to laugh at me. It was all going to end for me but it just kept on going like nothing had happened. Would anyone know of my end? Will I just be forgotten for my recklessness?

The last seconds of my life, I spend thinking 'what is going to happen?' Tears began rolling down my cheeks. The last thought that went through my mind was that peaceful smile Naruto had when he was sleeping. "Naruto."

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**(1) Sorry, I have no idea what a sword stabbing someone sounds like and that's the best I could come up with.**

**(2) I heard this in an anime called Durarara. I though it fit here…sort of.**

**Thank you so much for reading! Please review and tell me what you thought! Which ending did you like/would want to really happen?**

**Please Review! ^_^**


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